Hands & Hand Gestures

Here is a CST activities page celebrating the power and importance of hands and hand gestures. They say that up to 70% of communication is non-verbal, meaning we under-estimate its importance in the ways we communicate with one another. It is also an interesting fact that whilst some people with dementia may begin to lose their language skills, their non-verbal communication skills and ability to understand other's can remain relatively unaffected. This means that as care partners, we need to put more focus on backing up our verbal communication with good non-verbal cues and prompts. We also need to simplify and slow down our verbal communication to enhance the chances of being understood and offer repetition where necessary.

Mehrabian's Model (Feelings & Attitudes)

This popular model, often misinterpreted as applying to all communication, breaks down how feelings and attitudes are conveyed: 

• 55% Body Language: Eye contact, facial expressions, posture, gestures.

• 38% Tone of Voice: Pitch, volume, speed.

• 7% Words: The actual spoken words. 

Round 1. Idioms & Proverbs

Ask members to guess at what well known sayings these images illustrate ...

Answers:

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

Many hands make light work

Cold hands, warm heart

Caught red-handed

Golden handshake

All fingers and thumbs

Butterfingers

Under the thumb

My hands are tied

The left hand doesn't know what the right is doing

All hands on deck

Lend a helping hand

Ask members if they can sing this advertising slogan together ...

"For hands that do dishes can feel soft as your face, with mild green 'Fairy Liquid'."

Round 2. Sequential Hand Movements

Ask members to describe what is going on (or illustrated) in these sequential images?

Can members recreate the sequence?

Answers:

Round and round the garden, like a teddy bear. One step, two steps and tickle under there

This little piggy went to market, This little piggy stayed home, This little piggy had roast beef, This little piggy had none. This little piggy went ... Wee, wee, wee,all the way home!

Hands, knees and boomps a daisy

Here's a church, here's the steeple. open the doors and here are the people

Rock paper scissors

All for one, one for all

One potato, two potatoes

Speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil

3,2,1

Pat a cake, pat-a-cake baker's man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can

Round 3. Famous People Gestures

Ask members to name the people and/or movies and the meanings of the gestures they are making ...

Answers:

Dib dib dib (Scouts) - Bear Grylls

Vulcan salute - Dr Spock ('Star Trek')

Victory - Winston Churchill

Love - Gareth Bale

Mobot - Mo Farrah

Lightning bolt - Usain Bolt

The Thinker - Bruce Forsyth

"Up yours" - Frankie Howard ('Up Pompeii')

Thumbs up - Don McClean ('American Pie')

Gun - 'Trainspotting' film poster

"Please sir may I have some more" - Mark Lester ('Oliver' Twist)

Victory wave - Tony Blair

'Hand Of God' - Diego Maradona

Flipping the bird - Rowan Atkinson ('Mr Bean')

Jazz hands - Liza Minelli ('Cabaret')

"Stop" - Janet Lee ('Psycho')

"I have woken" - 'Dracula'

"As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again" - Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) ('Gone With The Wind')

"Choose" - 'The Matrix'

'The One Ring' - Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins) ('Lord Of The Rings')

Handprint - Wilson ('Castaway')

"Come hither" - Thing ('The Addams Family')

Sweaty hand - Kate Winslet (Rose DeWitt Bukater) ('Titanic')

'Potter's Wheel - Demi Moore & Patrick Swayze ('Ghost')

'Creation Of Adam' - Michelangelo (Sistine Chapel & 'South Bank Show')

"Home" - Russell Crowe (Maximus) ('Gladiator')

Glove - Michael Jackson

Love (?) - Charles & Diana

'Oscar's' Slap - Will Smith

Salute - 'Dickson Of Dock Green'

"I love you" (in sign language) - Bill Clinton

Round 4. Hand Gestures - What do they mean?

Hang loose

Namaste

Gimme

Peace

Okay

Yes, Good

Stop

Um?

Little bit

Knock on wood

Pray

Fingers crossed

Bye

Fist bump

Shush

Clap

Hand up "Please sir"

Head in hands

Facepalm

Yawn

Crossed arms

Blowing a kiss

Finger wagging

Thumbs down

Listening

Whispering

Shocked

Rolling eyes to heaven

Nose rubbing (Eskimo tradition)

Bow

Point

Rubbing hands together

Can members think of any more gestures that all of us use?

Round 5. Song Suggestions

Ask members to choose which songs to play ...

Encourage members to make the movements as they singalong ...

Round 6. Practical Activity Suggestion

Members could play a game of charades ...

'Give Us A Clue' - Michael Aspel, Una Stubbs & Lionel Blair

Here are some 'Charades' cards ...

If you like and use my work, don't forget to buy me a coffee at www.ko-fi.com/simondementia to help cover costs so this remains a free and open-access CST activities resource.